Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite

Tawni Alexander, a teacher and aspiring singer in Cleveland, is surprised to learn from her friends that her lover, Dante, recently proposed to someone. She knew their relationship was dying, but she is disappointed that Dante never mentioned his engagement to her. She ends things with him and, since it's summer, decides to take a break from everything. But then, when she’s asked to stand in for a fellow teacher for summer classes, she accepts, finding it hard to decline. While attending a music event after school, she bumps into Rue Edwards, the father of one of her students. They both can’t deny the chemistry between them, and soon begin seeing each other. However, Rue, a widower and construction worker, is not only stuck on his wife’s memory but also mentally in a dark place. Is Tawni about to get hurt yet again, or will Rue step up for her? Find out in Love in the Key of Summer by Zariah L. Banks.

If you are looking for a contemporary romance novel flavored with drama and suspense, Love in the Key of Summer by Zariah L. Banks is an enthralling pick. Banks plunges readers into the characters’ lives with intimate narration and vivid depictions. I could see the story’s settings and feel the different moods. Banks balances the story’s development with the characters’ personal struggles, and this kept me reading, eager to know what happened next. I understood Rudolph’s reasons for holding on to his wife’s memory, and for his continued grief years after her death. I also understood Tawni’s urge to make herself dependable, and how showing up for others, even at the expense of her own happiness, made her feel complete. As the two came together, Banks shows how grief, ego, and emotional instability can destroy relationships. This is not a romance novel about perfect love and dreamy moments; it is a story about two flawed people learning to be better for themselves and the people around them as they navigate their problems.